HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- An energy
efficient public housing building for senior citizens and an environmentally
friendly parking lot at the Huntsville Botanical Garden were two of
Huntsville's crown jewels on the state's 2012 Green Progress Report.

"I definitely feel momentum and this
year more than ever," he said. "When you look at it together, it's something to
be encouraged about."

The high optimism stems two major
achievements in the government area, Byington said.

First, state voters overwhelmingly (75
percent) voted in favor of re-authorizing the Forever Wild program for another
20 years. The item received more votes than any candidate or constitutional
measure on the ballot, including the presidential race and unopposed statewide
candidates.

The second was the Congressional
passage of the RESTORE Act. It creates the Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund
that will receive 80 percent of any civil penalties paid under the Clean Water
Act by the parties responsible for the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010.
Depending on the final settlement, fines could range between $4.7 billion to
$17.6 billion.

"You don't see bi-partisan work like
that in Congress," Byington said. "That why we're pointing it out because it should
be the norm, especially with environmental reform."

Forever Wild and the RESTORE Act
ranked first and second on a Top 12 in 2012 list of environmental achievements.

GRCA Green Progress Report

TOP 12 FOR 2012 List

Forever Wild program reauthorized

Passage of the RESTORE Act

25th Annual Alabama Coastal Cleanup sets records

Alabama's first Green Ribbons schools

Tuskegee and Alabama State EPA partnership
agreements

Fort Rucker Net Zero Energy facility

Three additional Birding Trails dedicated in Alabama

LEED "Green Buildings" 2012 list

2000 Trees to be planted in downtown Montgomery

Alabama Scenic River Trail named National Water Trail

Alabama Power to "Power" Up to 115,000 homes with
wind power

Red Rock Ridge and Valley Trail System unveiled in
Jefferson County

Eighth on the list were the 14 new buildings
that received LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)
certification as well as 154 being reviewed for certification. Huntsville had
two certified this year, the IRS Building making the gold level and the
Huntsville Housing Authority's Gateway Place, a senior citizen home, making the
platinum level.

In addition, the new Madison Fire
Station No. 2 is the first fire station in Alabama to be up for LEED certification.

"That's a very big accomplishment,"
Byington said. "That tells how North Alabama is a leader in green building."

Huntsville and other parts of North
Alabama also made high marks in a sub-category called "green initiatives."

Wise Aluminum Recycling Plant in Muscle
Shoals, which opened in March, became the largest aluminum recycling plant in
the nation. The $25 million plant can process 14.6 billion aluminum cans per
year, more than any plant in the world.

The Institute of Sustainability (TIOS)
started its green certification program in the spring. Athens State University
was one of a handful of notable Alabama institutions and companies to become
part of the program.

TVA Green Switch Program honored
Huntsville Utilities for its Top Recruiter of the Year Award. The program
allows customers to ensure that energy from wind, solar and landfill gas is
added to TVA's power supply through the
purchase of Green Power Switch energy blocks.

Land conservation initiatives

Land Trust of North Alabama bought 265
acres on Chapman Mountain to add to its growing number of preserved land. In 25
years, it has protected 6,113 acres in five North Alabama counties.

Government initiatives

Little River Canyon Bridge on Alabama 35
near Fort Payne received national recognition from the Sierra Club as one of the 50 Best
Transportation Projects in 2012. The 453-feet bridge that overlooks the
riverbed leading to Little River Falls used recycled steel and asphalt in its
construction.

The Alabama Tree Recovery Campaign, a
joint project of the Alabama Forestry Commission, the Arbor Day Foundation and
numerous local and state organizations distributed more than 30,000 trees in 16
north Alabama communities that lost massive amounts of trees to the April 2011
tornadoes.

Green communities initiatives

On Earth Day 2012, Monte Sano Mountain
overlooking Huntsville became the first certified Community Wildlife Habitat in Alabama
by the National Wildlife Federation. It had to provide food and clean water for
wildlife, cover for animals' protection and provide a place for them to raise
their young. The Flint River Conservation Association and the Monte Sano Civic
Association led the certification efforts.

Parks, trails and recreation initiatives

The National Park Service and the U.S.
Forest Service designated 14 Alabama trails in 2012 as National Recreation
Trails. Six are in North Alabama:Blevins
Gap Nature Preserve Trail System, Goose Pond Colony Nature and Walking Trail,
Monte Sano Nature Preserve Trail System, Scottsboro City Park Trail System, The
Forever Wild Walls of Jericho Trail System, and Wade Mountain Nature Preserve
Trail System.

Joining Alabama's five Birding Trails
in the state, three separate regional partnerships launched three additional
Birding Trails in 2012 through a statewide project overseen by the University
of Alabama Center for Economic Development and funded by the Alabama Department
of Tourism. North Alabama benefits from the new Appalachian Highlands Birding
Trail, which begins in Birmingham and reaches Little River Canyon in Dekalb
County.

This article was updated Thursday, Dec. 27, 2012, at 1:40 p.m. with a link to the 2012 Green Progress Report and a photo gallery.